October 17, 2017

Control (HC version)

Control (PB version)

Catalyst (Control #2)

Among the Shadows: 13 Stories of Darkness & Light

Monday, August 8, 2016

Piper, the day we brought her home. 9 weeks old! She's super sleepy in this picture.

Wow, it's been a while since I last blogged. I used to blog so regularly, twice, sometimes three times a week. But I've also come to realize that blogging without enjoyment isn't fun for readers, is it?

So here I am. My brain is constantly filled with the million things I have to do, and should do, and don't. So here's where my life is right now.

1. I am writing.
Yeah, writing a lot! When I started trying to publish my first novel back in 2009, I remember wishing so hard to get one book published. That was all. Two years ago, I was begging for a career with longevity, hoping I wouldn't be a one-series flash in the pan ("flash in the pan" is a reference to flint-lock rifles. Yeah, I researched that for my second non-published book).

So I wrote what I loved (even though that meant one book--an Asian dragon fantasy--never sold). But it also took me to places I wasn't used to. THE NOVEMBER GIRL is magical realism/contemporary with a diverse main character who's half Black, half Korean. And I also decided to wet my toes in the non-fiction world, with QUACKERY, which I'm still writing with Nate Pederson. Writing a book that got sold on proposal is so new and weird, folks. I try to research and write anywhere from zero to three chapters a month. It's tough work, totally fascinating, but very exhausting.

So this is where I am now, with three books coming out in 2017 in entirely different genres.

2. I got another book deal.
So one of those three books? It's the book of my heart. One that started out as YA, but ended up as an adult historical thriller. This one means so much to me, because it told stories of the hospital that I did my med school and residency in, Bellevue Hospital in New York City, but also combined my love of chemistry and science, and complicated relationships. That one is calledA BEAUTIFUL POISON and it's coming out with Lake Union, an imprint of Amazon. So, so happy this book found a home!

3. I quit a job.
So I now have three deadlines, instead of zero. I am very grateful for that. But it also meant having to let go of working as an attending physician at the Veterans Administration, a job I'd had for ten years. I was sad to go. Vets are among the most amazing, brave humans on earth, and taking care of them was truly an honor, but I had to make concessions somewhere. The clinic I worked in completely changed from continuity care to acute care, which is not where my love of outpatient medicine lies. And I refused to quit unless I knew I had income coming in from books. So finally, I said goodbye. I'll miss everyone there!

4. I didn't quit doctoring altogether.
I'm still taking care of my patients at the University clinic where I work. And I'm happy to do so for as long as I can. The truth is, writing keeps me in the medical game. It keeps me from burning out. When the paperwork and headaches of healthcare get to me, I can turn to my fictional universes and feel so free. And when the stress of publishing gets me frazzled, I can go and help someone's diabetes get under control, or help someone with debilitating depression. It's the most amazing balance, and I appreciate it every week.

5. I got a puppy. Her name is Piper.
Because you know, life with two jobs, one hubby, and three kids (one in high school, middle school, and lower school) isn't crazy enough. But hey, everyone needs a puppy. Or kitten. Or gecko. My kids have been wanting one forever, but they have dog hair allergies, and I refuse to pick up anything that weighs a good portion of me, so we got a shihpoo puppy. She's now 7 months old, spayed, and wonderful. And since I don't post pictures of my children online, I can now Instagram my puppy to my heart's content. Here's her IG account.

I hope you are all well. I'm thrilled to see so many of my old blogging buddies with agents and book deals, oh my! We've all come a long way, haven't we?

I find that I spend more time on Facebook, so friend me there if you haven't already. Talk soon!

While trying to create a more perfect world, there will always be errors – “freaks” of nature. Life for these individuals requires them to be hidden away from society. These people feel odd, left out.

Zel Benton is one of those people. She has her own physical mutation, Ondine’s Curse. Her lungs “forget” to breathe, and she needs to constantly wear a device to assist her to live. Added to that, she is constantly studying molecular biology.

Along with her sister, Dylia, the two leave an isolated life with their main connection to the real world being their father, who works long hours. This has been Zel’s life for years with the family frequently moving depending on her father’s work.

When her father is killed, the two sisters are instantly thrown into a new world. As minors, the sisters find themselves at a place called New Horizons. Micah assures Zel that everything will be fine.

The next morning everything is changed with Dylia and Zel being separated. Dyl is taken and Zel is assigned a new home with a foster mother.

Marka, the foster mother, operates a safe house for those with genetic mutations and apparently had worked with Zel’s father. Who was her father? What did he really do? Why was he killed? Where is her sister? Will she ever see her sister again? Now that she feels like she is living in this Land of Misfit Toys, can she ever have a normal life, or friends?

“Control” is a futuristic novel illustrating our society a century and a half from now where genetic modifications is commonplace. This is a science fiction book based on the current knowledge of today and is definitely a possibility for the future.

“Control” is aimed at a teen audience in this dystopian tale with teen characters and problems. The characters are realistic with hopes and dreams along with a variety of problems with no easy solution and personal regrets. What is unique is how the reader is continually vacillating between protagonist and antagonist based on the action’s of each character with constant conflict and action until the last page.

Lydia Kang is a local author, wife, and mother who works as a physician at UNMC. She prides herself with the science in her novels. She has spent extensive time with the experts to ensure that her books are science-based, not pure fantasy.

“Control” is a phenomenal debut novel that fortunately has a sequel, “Catalyst.” This is science fiction for all readers, not just teens.

“Control” is a true science fiction novel filled with great characters who race to stay alive in this fast-paced page turner.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

About the book:Sixteen-year-old Elli was a small child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic. Since then, Elli has lived in the temple, surrounded by luxury and tutored by magical priests, as she prepares for the day when the Valtia perishes and the magic finds a new home in her. Elli is destined to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.

But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.

Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, the home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between the love she has for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must align with the right side—before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.

I was lucky enough to read this when Sarah was writing it and it is FANTASTIC.

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